Android Users: Do You Hate Apple?

This post over at CNET's Technically Incorrect blog exhibited the most excellent example of link bait we've seen in awhile. The post titled, Survey: Most Android users 'hate Apple', was built around the recent findings of a survey conducted by Business Insider about smartphone users and their preferences. The highlighted finding: "most iPhone owners say they would buy an Android phone if there was an Android phone that was better in most key ways than an iPhone". In essence, a majority of Android users polled said they wouldn't ever consider purchasing an iPhone because they "hate Apple".

The Business Insider's Smartphone Survey reveals the strong polarization of culture between iPhone users and Android users, where nearly 56% of Android users choose to share their hatred of Apple and only 31% would consider purchasing an Apple product even if it worked better than non-Apple options. One could find these findings ironic in the sense those in support of an open platform seem to also exhibit a passionate display of irrational closed-mindedness actually unrelated to the products, but more in reaction to the cultural divide of the users adopting each company's products.

There are many who are happy with their Android phones, and, if this survey is to be believed, the majority of these people will upgrade only to another Android phone. But the results of this survey throw up a difficult conundrum: if the majority of Android users won't buy Apple because of "hate," then do they secretly believe that the iPhone is actually better than their own phone, but produced by a loathsome company?

What this poll seems to really reveal is that the most passionate of users of either platform hold their own preference in high regard for specific reasons, but perhaps the Android camp's negative emotional reasonings may be more of an indicator of their distaste of Apple and Apple users than an actual strong endorsement of the Android platform.

On the flipside, since announcing to friends I'd be using an Android phone over an iPhone after years of non-cell phone ownership (we're still waiting for the availability of the Samsung Galaxy II S) their reactions usually exhibited the same confusion and distaste if I had announced I had decided to forgo washing with soap and now relied upon using scrubbing with sand for hygiene. I think someone even called me a Benedict Arnold!

Where do you stand on this topic? Right out in front with your loves and hates, or on the sidelines, content with your choice, but open to using either platform in the future?